Parents of the yet-to-be-rescued Chibok girls have called on the Federal Government, Borno State Government, the United Nations and the international community to renew efforts to secure the release of those still missing.
Also, a leading campaign organisation for the rescue of the girls, The Murtala Muhammed Foundation, raised concerns over what it described as waning accountability and global attention, 12 years after the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Gunmen, on April 14, 2014, invaded Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, and abducted 276 schoolgirls.
The incident sparked local and global outrage, giving rise to the popular hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
In an open letter on Monday signed by Yana Galang and Zanna Lawan, on behalf of the parents, the families said 87 of the abducted girls remained unaccounted for.
They described the situation as a continuing tragedy and urged sustained attention to the case.
“For the families, this is not a past tragedy but an ongoing reality,” the statement read.
They stressed that the passage of time had not reduced the pain or uncertainty surrounding the fate of the missing girls.
“The passage of time has not lessened the uncertainty faced by those still waiting for answers,” the letter added.
They urged authorities to intensify efforts to locate the remaining girls and ensure accountability in the handling of the case.
The Murtala Muhammed Foundation, in a statement released on Monday to commemorate the anniversary, said the incident had come to symbolise a broader pattern of neglect, as dozens of the girls remain missing more than a decade later.
According to the foundation, 89 of the abducted girls were still unaccounted for, while 187 had either escaped or been released and rescued since the incident on April 14, 2014.
It added that over 40 children were born in captivity and later returned with their mothers.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Dr Aisha Muhammed Oyebode, lamented that progress in securing the release of the remaining girls had slowed significantly, noting that there had been no confirmed recovery in the past year.
“Chibok has become more than a place or a moment in time. It is now a metaphor for neglect—of responsibility, of accountability, and of our collective empathy for those who continue to live with the consequences of this tragedy,” she said.
Oyebode further stated that the abduction, which once drew global outrage, now reflected a failure to sustain attention and follow through on commitments made in the aftermath of the incident.
“What Chibok exposed was not only a security failure, but a failure of sustained attention—the inability to begin and to finish, to respond and to follow through,” she added.
The foundation also warned that recurring abductions of schoolchildren across the country had deepened fears among families and weakened confidence in the safety of education, particularly for girls in conflict-affected areas.
It called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to locate the remaining girls and ensure transparency in its response.
It also urged the United Nations and the international community to renew coordinated support aimed at protecting children and safeguarding education.
The foundation noted that beyond those still missing, the long-term impact of the abduction continued to affect survivors, their families, and communities, with many of the girls facing disrupted education, prolonged trauma, and uncertain futures.
“Chibok must not be remembered only as a tragedy. It must remain a call to action. Until every missing girl is accounted for, this responsibility remains unfinished,” Oyebode said.
